Spy Hunter

Spy Hunter's graphics are plain but clean, although the helicopter looks like a big floating tree. The Peter Gun theme plays in the background, and there are two difficulty levels. I highly recommend this one.

The graphics are great, there’s no doubt about what game you’re playing. The music is faithfully reproduced (it’s the “Theme to Peter Gunn”), and really adds to the atmosphere. Other sound effects, such as the machine guns, the skidding cars, and the helicopter are likewise very high quality. The game works fine with a standard controller, but you are given the option to use the Super Action Controller which makes the multiple-weapon pickups easier to select from; and as I mentioned earlier, the driving module that really brings the arcade feel home. You won’t find midget buses cutting you off in Spy Hunter, but there’s plenty to keep your trigger finger busy anyway.

One of the more successful arcade games of last year looks set to have potential double agents roaring up to their local shops in hot pursuit for a copy of the game. Sega has recently licensed Spy Hunter to US Gold and continues the trend of arcade games crossing the Atlantic as computer software.

Spy Hunter hearkens back to simple arcade beat-your-score challenges of yesteryear. You pilot a speeding Ferrari down highways that scroll from the top of the screen to the bottom. Along the way, you will be accosted by armored cars, bullet shooting cars, and tire-popping spiked cars. They have to die, and points are your reward. Your point tally increases more rapidly the faster you go, which is accomplished by moving your car up closer to the top of the screen. This, of course, means that your reaction time is cut shorter, and you must be on guard for road curves, hazards, and traffic. One hit at high speed makes your car kablooey. You must also watch out for the innocent cars, which temporarily suspend your ability to gain points if you toast them.

This one's fast and it's tricky and if you're not careful it'll drive you up the wall. If only it actually got somewhere.

Here's a surprisingly lame version of the popular arcade hit. VIewing the action from overhead, you control a James Bond-style car loaded with weapons and gadgets. You can shoot enemy cars or bump them off of the road, but the control is atrocious! Apparently you car only has only two speeds: too fast and too slow! When driving fast, you have no chance to react to oncoming cars, and when driving slow, the bad guys run you right off of the road. Spy Hunter's graphics are fair, but unimproved from the original arcade game. All in all, this is a major disappointment.